Discussion

LGA to Shea 4/26 and back 4/27

Any good places for solo traveler near LGA for early lunch this Sat. after rental car return before 1:10 Mets game and then after the Mets game the next day (about 4 pm) before a 7.45 flight from LGA? My concern is not cuisine, but early lunch and early dinner.

I can take bus, cab, subway, or walk, so transportation is not a problem.

There aren't really any restaurants within walking distance of the airport, and public transport in and out of the airport is a bit of a pain, with only a couple of bus lines serving the terminals.

If I was you, depending on the amount of time you have, I would take the Q33 bus to its terminal on Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights. This is the center of the Queens ethnic restaurant scene, and there are dozens of restaurants within a block or two of where you'll be standing. Just to the north is an entire strip of Indian/Bengali restaurants, to the south are several Korean restaurants and a Vietnamese place, to the west are Thai, Philipino, and Nepali places, and to the east are several Mexican and other Latin American places. From where the bus ends you can take the 7 train directly to Shea. Search the board here for Jackson Heights recommendations, of which there are literally thousands.

Even faster, and perhaps better, is to take a cab the rather short distance to Flushing, which is the largest Chinese community on the east coast. You should aim for somewhere near the corner of Roosevelt & Main St., which is pretty much the center of the neighborhood and from where you can catch the 7 subway to Shea. The advantage here is that you are only one stop away from the ballpark, and you'll be coming at it from the opposite direction of most of the crowd. Again, check this board for the almost daily discussion of Flushing restaurants.

However, after the game is over, you should be aware that Shea is within walking distance from Main St Flushing. You'll be able to walk to Main St in less time than you'd spend waiting in line to get into the subway station at Shea.

Actually, the subway is a good deal faster. The trains run at a rush hour schedule in both directions since they've got turn the eastbound trains around to handle the Shea crowds. I've never waited for more than 4 minutes for a train. Frequently much less. I must have parked in Flushing and done that one stop train ride 30 times.

Slightly off-topic, but two weeks ago I parked in between the 103 street train station and Leo's Latticini about an hour before the game, wolfed down a delicious hero and a coffee in the backyard of the bakery and took the 7 train two stops to shea. It was such a nice day I walked back to my car after the game and scored some blueberry ices at the king on the way back to the LIE via 108 street. I highly recommend to all. Even better is to grab some Israeli sunflower seeds at Carmel on 108 street for the game...

They've actually gotten smart about the crowds. Last year they moved the turnstiles up to the elevated platform. Down on the ground level the crowd just streams up the staircase since there's nothing to slow them down. Virtually no more lines. On the elevated platform there are lots of turnstiles so the crowd doesn't bunch up.